West Hills Hospital Appoints Chief Medical Officer

West Hills Hospital & Medical Center has appointed Dr. Yale Podnos as its new chief medical officer. The West Hills-based full-service care facility said Aug. 13 that Podnos had joined its leadership team effective Aug. 1. In his new position, he will oversee hospital initiatives for quality and patient care and act as the liaison between the hospital staff and administrators. .“He brings exceptional leadership and experience to our management team,” Douglas Long, chief executive of West Hills Hospital, said in a statement. Podnos most recently was the chairman of the department of surgery and chief of the division of surgical oncology at University of North Carolina REX Healthcare in Raleigh, N.C, where he also was a member of the faculty at the school of medicine. He received his medical degree from University of California – Irvine, where he also completed his residency in general surgery. In addition, he holds a master’s degree in health administration from Harvard University.